BLOOMINGTON – Tom Allen strode to the podium inside Memorial Stadium’s team room with a well-earned smile on his face Wednesday.

IU’s coach had just closed his signing day business with the No. 39 class in the country. Should that number hold or even come close — rankings are always fluid — it will be the highest-ranked class since the 2000 class, which was ranked 38th.

Allen proved he isn’t shy about playing true freshmen, 14 of whom featured this fall. Who might have an early impact from his 2019 class?

Sampson James, running back

The Avon running back IU flipped from Ohio State is the second-highest rated signee in program history, per the 247Sports Composite. He’s also enrolling midyear, which means he’ll be around for spring practice.

James was hampered by an injury in his senior high school season but finished his Avon career with 3,451 rushing yards, and 38 scores on the ground. He quite literally had his pick of elite programs and elected to stay close to home.

IU returns 1,000-yard-back Stevie Scott, who will only be a sophomore next season. But it’s worth pointing out Scott accounted for just 228 of the Hoosiers’ 428 rushing attempts last season, and the ground game lacked consistent punch without him.

Should James adapt quickly to life in the Big Ten, it’s not hard to see him dovetailing with Scott coming out of the backfield.

Juan Harris, defensive tackle

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Juan Harris returns to IU after spending last season at Independence Community College in Kansas.(Photo: Robert Scheer/IndyStar)

What was old is new again for IU with Harris, who signed with the Hoosiers out of high school and played his freshman season in 2017, before transferring to junior college.

He was eligible for a return to a four-year school after just one year, though, and after thorough evaluation, Allen said he and his staff felt confident Harris still had a place in Bloomington. Now, the 6-3, 350-pound defensive tackle is bound for Indiana again, and this time, he won’t have the freshman jitters.

Harris is eligible immediately, and the kind of big-bodied player who can demand double teams and open holes for linebackers in Allen’s 4-2-5 defense. With Ja’Merez Bowen and Jacob Robinson gone, he looks like an ideal fit to slot into the center of IU’s defensive line, with three seasons left to play.

Jack Tuttle, quarterback

Tuttle doesn’t count as a signee, per se, in the 2019 class. But the Utah transfer will be on campus come January, and his credentials as a four-star high school quarterback and Elite 11 participant make him an intriguing addition to that position group.

Incumbent starter Peyton Ramsey (2,875 yards, 19 TDs, 13 INTs) won’t give up his hold on the position without a fight. And Michael Penix, now a redshirt freshman, flashed tantalizing arm strength in spot work before tearing his ACL last fall.

There’s also the question of whether Tuttle will be immediately eligible. Allen said IU has submitted a waiver request for the California native, and that the Hoosiers believe they’ll get an answer from the NCAA sometime around spring practice.

If Tuttle is immediately eligible, he’ll have work to do to win the No. 1 job. But at very least, a player so talented should cause everyone’s level to rise in the quarterback room, a worthwhile development for Indiana’s offense.

Beau Robbins, defensive line

Robbins is the kind of versatile lineman Allen loves — long enough at 6-5 to play end or tackle, athletic enough to be a problem anywhere.

The line has been hit as hard as any of IU’s position groups by attrition in the last two seasons. And the Hoosiers’ pass rush will need beefing up ahead of next season if possible.

Robbins finished his senior season at Carmel with 82 tackles, 17 for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles. He has both the physical tools and the numbers on paper to suggest he can be a disruptive force early in his college career, should Indiana require it.

Cameron Williams, linebacker

A four-star signing day special for Indiana, Williams picked the Hoosiers over Purdue, among others, submitting his national letter of intent Wednesday.

The Andrean product is a Top247 prospect, according to 247Sports’ own rankings. He collected 124 tackles and 17 sacks over his final two high school seasons, and he was a two-time all-state selection.

He’s now scheduled to arrive to a position group that’s light Dameon Willis because of graduation, and T.D. Roof after Allen announced Wednesday the one-time Georgia Tech transfer plans to give up football because of persistent injuries.

IU took numerous four-star players in this class. Given the holes left in the linebacker depth chart, Williams could find his way onto the field as quickly as any of them, should he click early.